Trash to Treasure

I love the idea of taking someone's garbage and making it into something useful. The Breast Cancer site has a take on this idea by featuring bags made in the Phillipines that are crafted by a womens' cooperative from juicebox packages that would normally take forever (or maybe longer) to decompose. While you save the environment and further a small business venture/social enterprise, you simultaneously help women obtain mammograms who would not normally be able to afford them.

The bags seem durable, bright, and fun. Plus, having one means not needing to take additional plastic bags from the grocery store. Some stores, like Whole Foods, will even reward you for bringing your own bags by passing along a cash discount to you. (I've heard that anywhere up to 20% of grocery store mark-ups go to providing packaging. There's no reason they shouldn't pass that savings along to you, even if it is only a nickel!)

I think this may be a win-win-win-win situation. What's not to like about that?